Invalid-bed



2 Sheet- -Sheet '1 A. BODBN, J. PEERS & S,.S,A XO'N.Q

(No Model.)

INVALID BED."

No. 504,515. Patented sem -5,1593.

(No Model.)

. 2 Sheets-Sheet 2. A. BODBN, J."PEERS&' s. SAXON. INVALID BED.

No. 504,515. Patented Sept. 5, 1893'.

UNITED STATES ANNIE BODEN', JOSEPH PEERS,

PATENT OFFICE.

AND SAMUEL SAXON, SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

INVALID-BED.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 504,515, datedSeptember 5, 1893.

Application filed May 22, 1893- Serial No. 475,133- (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, ANNIE BODEN, JOSEPH PEERS,3.I1(I SAMUEL SAXON,citizens of the United States, residing in the city and county of SanFrancisco, State of California, have invented an Improvement inInvalid-Beds; and we hereby declare the following to be a full, clear,and exact description of the same.

Our invention relates to an improved bed for invalids.

It consists in certain details of construction which will be more fullyexplained by reference to the accompanying drawings, in Which Figure 1is a perspective view showing the upper part of the bed elevated, andthe mattress depressed. Fig. 2 is alongitudinal vertical section of thesame, with parts extended and mattresses in contact. Fig. 3 is a longi-2o tudinal section showing lower frame slotted with sliding travelersand parts extended. Fig. 4 is a similar view with the upper frameelevated and the mattresses separated. Fig. 5 is a modification to bereferred to.

The object of our invention is to provide a means whereby the invalidmay be raised into a sitting position, the feet extended or droppeddown, and a lower mattress upon which the invalid is normally supportedwhen extended at full length, is dropped away from the upper one whenthe invalid is raised into a sitting position, so as to leave aconsiderable space between the two for the purpose of changing bedlinen, or for other services.

A are the side rails; B B the head and footboard of the bed.

The mechanism may be attached directly to the main frames or it may beconnected with a supplemental frame which may be either attached to themain frame or arranged to be taken out, and independent of the mainbedstead. This latter construction allows it to be used in conjunctionwith any ordinary bed which it will fit.

In the side rails A are horizontal slots as shown at C, and in theseslots the travelers D are fitted to slide backward and forward. To thesetravelers are fulcrumed the lever arms E, to the lower ends of which areattached 5o transverse rods F extending from one side to the other, andthese serve to support the lower mattress G, or a supplementalframe-work upon which it rests. The rearmost of the levers E extendsupwardly as shown at E, and the webbing or canvas forming the headportion of the uppermost cot or support, is stretched between the sideframes E, and the end frame E of this portion of the upper mattress.

The side bars E of the upper mattress are pivoted to the upper part ofthe lovers E, as shown at I, so that when the levers E are turned tostand in a vertical direction, the lower mattress G will becorrespondingly depressed by the downward movement of the lower ends ofthe levers E, while the upper mattress or cot which is stretched acrossthe frames E, E and E will be correspondingly raised, so that there willbe a clear space between the upper and lower mattresses. At the sametime, by reason of the part E forming an extension of the lever E, thatportion of the upper mattress which supports the head and shoulders ofthe invalid, will be turned upward until it stan ds at an angle with thepart E and the invalid will be brought into a more or less completesitting posture, according to the degree to which this part of the bedis raised. The canvas which extends between the sides E and the lowerend E of the upper frame-work, is also cut away or separatedlongitudinally, as shown at J, sothat by unhooking a'p'ortion of it, itmay be allowed to drop down, so that as the invalid is raised into asitting posture, the feet may be dropped to rest upon the lowermattress, while a sufficient portion of the web which extends betweenthe side bars E will remain in position to form a seat and the head andshoulders will be supported by the up-turned back portion of the webwhich is attached to the parts E and E of the frame. The seat portionhas an opening made in it as shown and when this is uncovered, a bed-panmay be placed beneath it for the use of the patient, who is supported aspreviously described. If desired, thewhole of the lower portion of thiswebbing may remain attached, in which case the legs will remainextended, or one may remain extended and the other dropped. This featureis especially useful in case of broken or injured limbs. When theinvalid is again lowered into a horizontal position by the movement ofthe levers E E, the same action which depresses and straightens out theupper cot or bed, raises the lower mattress G until the two are incontact, and the mattress G supports the whole weight of the invalid.

In cases where it is not necessary to keep the legs extended, the frameE may be shortened toward the foot, see Fig. 5, leaving only asufiicient length to support a small table a which unites and braces theside rails E and the end rail E is dispensed with. The side rails E areextended toward the head as shown in dotted lines Fig. 1, and theWebbing attached to these sides instead of E where the patient cannot beraised into a sitting posture.

In order to operate this device we have shown a drum shaft K journaledin suitable bearings, near the head of the bed, and having ropes orstraps L adapted to coil around it. The drum shaft is shown upon theoutside of the main frame for convenience of illustration, but it willusually extend across the head of the removable frame and inside of thehead of the main bedstead. These straps pass around guide pulleys M M atthe lower part of the bed, thence extend underneath the bed and connectwith the frame-work N which unites the lower ends of the levers E, sothat when these straps are coiled upon the drum K, by turning the crankO, the lower ends of the levers E will be drawn toward the head of thebed, and as they turn about the fulcrum points upon the sliding bar 1),the upper ends will be correspondingly thrown toward the foot of thebed. This movement, at the same time, depresses the lower ends of thelevers, and raises the upper ends of the levers, and the tendency of themovement would naturally be to throw the upper mattress or support overthe foot of the bed, but by reason of the slides D moving in the slots0, as the levers are turned about their fulcrum supports, the fulcrumswill be moved toward the head of the bed, as the upper mattress orinvalid support is turned up to raise the invalid into the sittingposture as previously described, and the whole frame-work will becorrespondingly drawn backward so as to retain it all within the limitsof the bedframe, and when it is let down, it correspond.- ingly moves inthe opposite direction.

In order to control the movements of the head of the lower mattress wehave shown longitudinal bars P extending beneath the lower mattress andacross the transverse bars H. The ends of these bars, at the head of thebed, are supported by ropes or straps Q which coil about the drum shaftK in the opposite direction from the straps L, so that when one set ofstraps is being wound up, the other is being uncoiled. Therefore, whenthe straps L are being wound up, the straps Q, are being uncoiled, andthus the lower mattress will be depressed while the upper mattress willbe raised and the two separated. When the reverse operation takes place,the lower mattress will be raised, while the upper mattress is beingstraightened out and depressed, un-

til it finally rests upon and is entirely supported by the lowermattress.

In Figs. 3 and 4 we have shown a modification of the mechanism, in whichthe lower ends of the levers E are also connected with longitudinallysliding travelers R upon each side which are guided and move inlongitudinal slots in the side bars S, and the latter are guided so asto move vertically within the frame of the bed.

V V are links which connect the side rails with stationary points nearthe head of the bed, and these act, when the frame is raised ordepressed, to move the fulcrum slides D in their guiding slots as thelevers E turn about their fulcrum points.

T is a ratchet wheel, and U are pawls which hold the ratchet at anypoint desired.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

1. In an invalid bed, vertically separable frames, the lower onecarrying the principal mattress, and the upper one a supplementalmattress or support, and mechanism connecting the frames whereby thelower one is depressed and the upper one raised simultaneously,substantially as herein described.

2. In an invalid bed, a main frame, a supplemental frame verticallymovable within the main frame and adapted to support a mattress, leverarms fulcrumed above said frame, having the lower ends connectedtherewith, a second frame connected with said lever arms above theirfulcrum points, a winding drum, straps adapted to coil thereon havingtheir opposite ends connected with the lower ends of the levers andmovable frame, whereby a movement of the levers about their fulcrumpoints acts to depress the lower mattress and raise the upper one,substantially as herein described.

3. In an invalid bed, a mattress supporting frame vertically movablewithin the main frame of the bed, levers fulcrumed above said framehaving the lower ends connected therewith, a second frame connected withthe levers above their fulcrum points and carrying a flexible mattressor support for an invalid, extensions of the pairs of levers nearest thehead of the bed, to which extension the upper portion of said support isattached, a winding drum with straps adapted to coil thereon havingtheir opposite ends connected with the lower ends of the leverconnecting frames whereby thewinding of the straps upon the drum movesthe mattresses vertically in opposite directions simultaneously, andtilts the upper end of the upper mattress to bring the invalid into asitting posture, substantially as herein described.

4;. In an invalid bed, the Vertically separable mattresses, leversbetween which said mattresses are supported, winding mechanism andstraps connected with the movable frames, whereby the lower mattress isdepressed and the upper mattress is raised, and the invalidsimultaneously raised into a sitting posture upon the upper mattress,attachments for the foot end of the upper mattress, longitudinallyseparable sections of said end of the mattress whereby either portionmay be disengaged and dropped after the mattress has been raised so asto leave the invalid in a sitting posture upon the remaining portion ofthe mattress, substantially as herein described.

5. In an invalid .bed, a supplemental mattress supporting frame,vertically movable within the main frame of the bed and havinglongitudinal slots made in its sides, slides adapted to travellongitudinally in said slots, horizontal movable slides adapted totravel upon the sides of the main frame above the movable frame, leversfulcrumed in pairs to said slides and having their lower ends connectedwith the slides of the mattress supporting frame, a second verticallymovable frame attached to the upper ends of the levers above theirfulcrum points, extensions of the head portion of the levers, a webbingor mattress attached to the supplemental frame and the lever extensions,a winding drum and straps coiled thereon and connected with the lowerends of the lovers whereby said levers are turned upon their fulcrumpoints so as to depress the lower mattress and raise the upper one whenthe straps are coiled upon the drum and to raise the lower mattress anddepress the upper one when the straps are uncoiled, substantially asherein described.

In witness whereof we have hereunto set our hands.

ANNIE BODEN. JOSEPH PEERS. SAMUEL SAXON.

Witnesses:

S. H. NoURsE, LINCOLN SONNTAG.

